The Thessaloniki International Book Fair launches the DIALOGUE Rights Center expanding the institution’s international and professional identity [4-7/5/2023]

The Thessaloniki International Book Fair, in its 19th year, is launchingthe Rights Centre. The creation of this new international professional unit expands its dynamics. The Rights Centre, which will operate in building 13, in the DIALOGUE area, aimsat increasing the opportunities for literary translations and at making better use of GreekLit, through B2B meetings, discussions and exchange of good practices whileaugmenting foreign book purchases.

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The international professional program of the 19th TIBF includes 20 literary agents and publishers from various countries, while the total presence of international representatives from the book industry is expected to exceed 50. In addition, the HFC is inviting this year 15 booksellers from Northern Greece to strengthen their connection with the publishers and TIBF. The international exhibitors at this year’s TIBF also include national pavilions of 14 countries with publisher delegations, including the US pavilion in which 22 publishers are represented.

The 19th TIBF is organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in collaboration with Greek publishers, TIF-HELEXPO, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. It is held under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

INVITATION PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL BOOK PROFESSIONALS

[1st Thessaloniki Book Fair Fellowship Program]

The 19th TIBF, from May 4 to 7, 2023, will be attended for the first time by 20 invited publishers, literary agents and other book professionals, coming from Egypt, Belgium, Britain, Estonia, USA, Japan , India, Spain, Israel, Italy, Canada, Mozambique, Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey and Finland.

The new Invitation Program for Book Professionals, together with this year’s increased participation of national exhibitors, will strengthen the international and professional character of the fair. This new initiative of the TIBF aimsto increase networking opportunities among book professionals, to promote the Greek book market internationally, to improve the understanding of the international book markets from the Greek side and to encourage the purchase and sale of rights and the exchange of good practices.

It is noted that, within the framework of the TIF, the HFC has organized, international seminars on the future of the book industryfrom 2018 to 2021, with the participation of speakers specialized in the topics of the new business models of the global book market (TIF-Seminar on the future of the Book, Let’s Talk). This new Fellowship program, launched this year, is an important opening that places the TIBF in the centre of international dialogue and creates new perspectives for all stakeholders.

The 1st Invitation Program for Book Professionals includes a series of discussions and seminars [Thursday (15.00-19.00), Friday (10.00-15.00), Saturday 10.00-12.00] covering topical issues of professional interest, such as book purchases, digitization, sales and rights purchases, translation, international exhibitions, etc. with the participation of:

Mauro Spagnol, Books Everywhere (ENGLAND), Eleonora Simonova, Nora-Druk Publishers (UKRAINE), Sandra Tamele, EditoraTrinta Zero Nove (Mozambique), Teresa Pintó, AgenciaLiteraria Carmen Balcells S.A. (SPAIN), Emre Can Petek, Introtema Copyright & Translation Agency (TURKEY), Hiroshi Asami, Kanki Publishing Inc. (JAPAN), Sherif Bakr, Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing (EGYPT), Michela Pea, Insight Editions, (USA), Fatimah Abbas, Noon for Publishing & Distribution / Fatimah Abbas Literary Agency, (EGYPT / UAE), Paul Bernard, Editions Hemma (FRANCE), Prashant Pathak, Wonder House Books / Fingerprint Publishing (INDIA), Gautam Mehta, Mehta Publishers-Mkids (INDIA), Stephanie Barrouillet, S.B.Rights Agency (ISRAEL / FRANCE), Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs, The Deborah Harris Agency (ISRAEL), TuomasSorjamaa, Rights & Brands (FINLAND), Milly Ruggiero, The Rights Factory (CANADA), ChrysothemisArmefti, 2 Seas Agency Inc. (USA), Kadri Rahusaar, Koolibri Publishers (ESTONIA), Silvia Vassena, Silvia VASSENA @ MILANO Scouting & Consulting (ITALY), Emma House, Oreham Group (UK).

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Within the broader context of the TIBF international program, this year the fair welcomes important dignitaries from the field of the international book market:

Elena Pasoli, Director Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Jacks Thomas, Director Bologna Book Plus, Ian Denison, Director World Book Capitals Network – UNESCO, Anne Bergman, Federation of European Publishers Director, Alexandra Büchler, Literature Across Frontiers / Wales Literature Exchange, Kristina Kramer, Deputy Director for European and International Affairs, Petra Hardt, director of rights for 25 years at the well-known German publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag books, EmrahKisakurek, head of international exhibitions of the Turkish Publishers Association, Porter Anderson, distinguished American journalist and editorial director of Publishing Perspectives.

Within the context of professional events, the Association of Book Publishers of Athens – SEVA organizes an International Conference of Publishers entitled: “Exploring the challenges of the new landscape of diversity in the field of publishing”, while events are also organized by OSDEL – Organization for the Collective Management of Speech Projects and the OPI – Intellectual Property Organization.

USA – Guest of Honour

The honoree of this year’s TIBF is American Literature (USA), with the main goal of highlighting contemporary literary voices and the US book market, through invitations from publishing houses, professional book writers.

The organization of the American Pavilion has been undertaken by the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with its Culture Committee. Meanwhile, the invitation and representation of the American publishers has been undertaken by the company American Collective Stand(https://www.americancollectivestand.com/) having ensured the presence of 22 publishing houses as exhibitors from the USA in the American Pavilion, covering an area of 250 m2.

These Publishing Houses include:

Abrams Books Publishing Company, American Psychiatric Assocation Publishing, Booklife – Authors, Georgetown Univeristy Press, Gona’s Publishing, LLC, Guilford Press, Harvard University Press, Heron Books, Inner Traditions International, Insight Editions, Indepent Publishers Group- Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Merriam-Websters Publishers, MoMa Publications, Penquin Random House, The Quarto Group, Roman & Littlefield Publishing Company, Sourcebooks Company, Teacher Created Materials, University of Chicago Press, Yale University Press.

The following link will help you browse the 578 book titles that will be exhibited at the American Pavilion:
https://secure.combinedbook.com/2023-thessaloniki-book-fair_onlinecatalog_777.html?cmbSubject=&cmbPublisher=&txtTitle=&txtAuthor

In total, the countries that are represented at the TIBF with a national stand are: Bulgaria, Bosnia, France, Germany, Georgia, USA, India, Israel, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, Republika Srpska of Bosnia, Slovakia, Turkey.

PROGRAM OF PROFESSIONAL EVENTS

THURSDAY 4/7, 15:00-18:00 – THE GREEK BOOK MARKET

SEMINAR: The Greek book market in numbers
Speaker: ZannosGeorgandreas, OSDEL Director

SEMINAR: Digitization and innovations in the Greek publishing sector
Speakers: Michalis Kalamaras, digital publishing consultant and founder, eAnagnostis.gr, Giorgos Putos, founding manager of JukeBooks.

DISCUSSION: A discussion with Greek and foreign publishers and literary agents will follow, Coordinator: journalist Lambrini Kouzeli.

THURSDAY 4/7, 19:00-20:00

International Book Fairs – sharing books and ideas.
Book fairs as a forum for exchange of ideas, meetings, and entrepreneurship. New initiatives and innovations – PublisHer, women in publishing, diversity. Awarding of the Best Jacket Off award received by the Greek publisher Giorgos Alisanoglou (Shakespiricon) in the context of the Greek participation as an honored Market in Bologna Book Plus 2023.
Participants: Elena Pasoli, director of Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Jacks Thomas, director of Bologna Book Plus, Ian Denison, director of World Book Capitals Network – UNESCO, EmrahKisakurek, manager of international exhibitions of the Turkish Publishers Association.

FRIDAY 5/5, 10:00-14:00

10.00-10.30- SEMINAR: HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL AGENT
Mauro Spagnol (Books Everywhere)

10:30 – 11.30 – DISCUSSION: AGENDA WITHOUT BORDERS
Fatimah Abbas (Noon for Publishing and Distribution), ChrysothemisArmefti (2 Seas Ageny Inc.), Stéphanie Barroulliet (S.B. Rights Agency), Milly Ruggiero (The Rights Factory)

11:30-12:00 – SEMINAR: PERMIT AND LICENSE MANAGEMENT
TuomasSorjamas,Licenses and rights management, (Rights & Brands)

12:00-12:20 – COFFEE BREAK

12:20-14:00 – THE BOOK MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD
Moderator: Porter Anderson, director, Publishing Perspectives (USA)

12:20-13.00 – ASIA – AFRICA
Prashant Pathak (INDIA), Hiroshi Asami (JAPAN), Sherif Bakr (EGYPT – ARAB COUNTRIES), Sandra Tamele (MOZAMBIQUE – AFRICAN COUNTRIES)

13:00-13:40 – EUROPE – AMERICA
Michela Pea, Insight Editions (USA), Anne Bergman (EUROPE), Kristina Kramer (GERMANY), Haris Ioannides (CYPRUS)

FRIDAY 5/5, 17:00-18:00

UNESCO World Book Capitals NETWORK
Discussion on the UNESCO World Book Capital programme, sharing experiences and examples, how a city can get the title of World Book Capital and what this means for the city itself. Through the Network, cooperation and dialogue between cities is encouraged and after the end of the host period, the transfer of know-how and the support of interested or candidate cities, as well as the implementation or support of programs and actions for the book and reading. The Greek experience “Athens World Book Capital 2018”.
SPEAKERS: Ian Denison, International Coordinator of the UNESCO World Book Capitals Network and city representatives.
Organization: UNESCO WORLD BOOK CAPITAL NETWORK

SATURDAY 6/5, 10:00-12:00

Translators as talent hunters

The role of the translator in discovering good books for translation, the limits and limitations of language, culture, religion, in the encounter of literary works with readers.
ClaudiuSfirchi-Lăudat, translator into Romanian – director of the HFC branch in Bucharest, Khaled Raouf, translator into Arabic – associate of the HFCchapter in Alexandria, MazenMaarouf, translator of Arabic literature into English, RiikkaPulkkinen, translator of Greek literature into Finnish.
Moderator: AthinaRossoglou,translator, researcher
Organization: HFC

11:00-12:00 – Buying rights in the new digital age – what has changed?

On the occasion ofher book “Buying, protecting and selling rights”, Petra Hardt, director of rights for 25 years at the largest German publishing house SuhrkampVerlag, conveys and captures her experience in a practical way, offering advice to employees in the copyright and publishing license departments, but also to the managers of publishing series and to authors. The work has been translated into many languages. It is published in Greek by Bacchikon publications.
Participants: Petra Hardt, former director of rights at the German publishing house SuhrkampVerlag (Germany), SilviaVassena, Acomabook, Scouting&Consulting (Italy), Katerina Fragou, literary agent (IrisLiteraryAgency)
COORDINATOR: Emma House, Oreham Group (UK).
ORGANIZATION: HFC / PUBLICATIONS BAKHIKON-TO MELLON

15:00-16:00 – Banned books in the age of political correctness.

Is political correctness a new form of censorship? What are the limits of intervention in the area of ideas and creativity?
Participants: Emma House, Oreham Group (BRITAIN), Alexandra K*, writer, Costas Katsoularis, writer and journalist.
Moderator:Porter Anderson,distinguished American journalist and Editorial Director of Publishing Perspectives.